FAQ/How-to: Installing HUD in a 1997-2004 Buick Regal

[digitaloutsider]

http://www.regalgs.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38852

 

I'm linking directly to this article since it's too difficult to keep up two separate threads, but I think it's very useful to have in the FAQ section if anyone needs it. I know we're not supposed to link to competitor sites or whatever, but I think this under good circumstances. I wrote it all anyway.

 

Any questions can be asked here though, and I'd be more than glad to answer them.

[99RegalGS]

You best be doing it this weekend!!

[Euro]

thats awesome. cant wait til you get it done!

[digitaloutsider]

You best be doing it this weekend!!

 

I am

[THe_DeTAiL3R]

Post pics of the finished project... I wanna see how hacked up the dash looks.

[webxfx]

Would the wireing work in a Impala or Intrigue as well?

[jimmyfloyd]

Would the wireing work in a Impala or Intrigue as well?

 

It might, but you'd need to check the wiring colors against the ones posted. also, the dash may be a different style.

 

My friend has done this on every regal he's owned in the last 2 years (5 so far) and it's fairly straight forward.

[DefEddie]

Any chance of a copy/paste to this thread?

The other forum is requiring me to register to view.

[jake91]

why dont you just register and look at it yourself?

[supertrick_05]

That's actually pretty cool...but I don't get why the 1st gen W-Bodies have to use a "special" windshield, while the 2nd gen guys don't have to. That sucks...

[digitaloutsider]

I'm designing this thread to be a go-to guide for all sorts of HUD installation advice, questions, and FAQ's. As most of you know, HUD was one of the options our cars were deprived of, and I think that's just a pity! As far as I know, a couple of people on this forum have already installed HUD in their Regals, including Dave Wild (WildGS), Mike (Bandit GS) and Whytewolf. I'm going to be undertaking this project myself next weekend (01/06/07). I'll be fully documenting my work and I'll post all that good stuff in this thread when I get done. Let's get started.

 

Before You Begin:

 

WARNING: Let me begin with a small disclaimer. Installing a HUD system in your Regal is an incredibly intensive task that involves removing your console and dashboard (including airbags), cutting difficult to replace parts, and splicing into your vehicle's electrical system. Under no circumstances will I, or RegalGS.org be held responsible for your actions. If you don't know what you're doing, either ask for advice or don't do it at all. Airbags are dangerous, take extreme care when removing them. Always wear eye protection when using any sort of saw or Dremel and most importantly, USE COMMON SENSE. Then again, if you had any of that, you wouldn't be attempting this install in the first place.

 

Parts Required: To install HUD in your Regal, you'll need the following parts from a 1997-2003 Pontiac Grand Prix:

 

HUD defroster plate/dashpad

HUD dimmer/adjuster with wiring pigtail

HUD unit with wiring pigtail

 

Optionally, you could get the HUD switch from a HUD-equipped Park Avenue and mount it to the headliner (this also replaces your sunroof switch). I plan on mounting my Grand Prix HUD switch in the center console cubby. I paid less than $50 for all my parts. Your milage my vary, as some junkyards are insane and some eBay sellers try to charge over $200 for these parts. IIRC, Ed Morad is quite reasonable.

 

Wiring Guide and HUD information:

 

Overview: The GM Eye-cue Head-Up Display system was designed by GM's Hughes Aircraft Division and was first offered on the 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Pace Car replicas. These first units were stamped with a Hughes Electronics logo on the cover. Later on, the 1989 Pontiac Turbo Grand Prix would recieve a similar system. However, we're going to focus on the third generation HUD units, as shipped in the 1994-2003 Pontiac Grand Prix (originally also intended for the 1995-1997 Cutlass Supreme, but was pulled at the last minute).

 

The third generation Delco-Hughes HUD system was introduced in the 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix. This was an all new design, built from the ground up. This unit sat under the dashboard, hidden away. The previous versions sat atop the dashboard in a small rectangular box. This also marked the introduction of a motor-controlled HUD mirror. The first and second generation HUD units either adjusted directly on the unit itself (1988-1990) or were moved via a cable drive (1991-1993).

 

Aesthetically, the HUD units themselves from 1994-2003 are nearly identical. Physically, they are interchangable. There is a small wiring difference, but it's just a matter of repinning the harness. You could theoretically install a 1994-1996 HUD unit in a 1997-2003 GP and vice-versa. The biggest difference between the two is the introduction of a larger LCD screen (to accomidate the comfort and control display, aka radio data). Unfortunately, us Regal owners can't take advantage of the on-HUD radio display since our cars don't use the same data bus that the Grand Prix's do.

 

Wiring information (Switch): The 1994-2003 Grand Prix HUD switches use the same wiring scheme, as shown below:

 

Row 1:

A PNK Switched 12v Ignition Feed
B GRY Dimming signal
C WHT HUD display dimming signal, to HUD unit A6
D Blank

Row 2:

E YEL Mirror motor UP, to HUD unit B1
F BRN HUD switch output
G BLK ground
H BRN Mirror motor DOWN, to HUD unit B2

 

Wiring information (HUD unit, 1994-1996 ONLY): If you choose to use it, the 1994-1996 HUD unit uses a slightly different wiring pinout than the 97-03 as shown below:

 

Row 1:

A1 BRN HUD switch output
A2 GRY/BLK Parking Lamp Input
A3 Blank
A4 DK GRN VSS input
A5 TAN Oil Pressure indicator
A6 DK GRN/WHT Low Fuel indicator
A7 LT BLU Left turn signal
A8 BLK Ground

Row 2:

B1 YEL Mirror motor UP, HUD switch E
B2 BRN Mirror motor DOWN, HUD switch H
B3 LT BLU E/M switch, grounded=metric
B4 BRN Charge indicator
B5 DRK GRN Coolant temp indicator
B6 LT GRN High-beam indicator
B7 DK BLU Right turn signal
B8 WHT HUD dimmer switch input

 

Wiring information (HUD unit, 1997-2003 ONLY): If you choose to use it, the 1997-2003 HUD unit uses a slightly different wiring pinout than the 94-96 as shown below:

 

Row 1:

A1 BRN HUD switch output
A2 BRN Charge indicator
A3 TAN Oil pressure indicator
A4 DK GRN Coolant temp indicator
A5 DK GRN Entertainment and comfort serial data communications
A6 WHT Switch dimmer signal, HUD switch C
A7 DK GRN VSS
A8 BLK Ground

Row 2:

B1 YEL Mirror motor UP, HUD switch E
B2 BRN Mirror motor DOWN, HUD switch H
B3 LT BLU E/M switch, grounded=metric
B4 DK GRN/WHT Low fuel indicator
B5 LT GRN High-beam indicator
B6 Blank
B7 LT BLU Left turn signal
B8 DK BLU Right turn signal

 

Wiring inconsistencies:

 

There are a handful of issues that must be addressed before wiring up your HUD unit. Certain features are either unusable or must be wired differently. These are:

 

Unable to use due to data bus issues:

Brown wire on the HUD unit. (Battery indicator)
Tan wire on the HUD unit. (Low oil pressure)
Dark green wire on the HUD unit. (Low coolant)
Dark green wire on the HUD unit. (Comfort and entertainment data bus)
Dark green with white stripe wire on the HUD unit. (Low fuel indicator)

Connections that must be altered:

Light green wire on HUD unit. (High-beam indicator) This wire must have a 30A Bosch relay in place to reverse polarity.

 

Installation Guide:

 

I initially promised lots and lots of pictures for this, but I've only got a handful that are of anything really important. To be very honest, you really can't do this project by a guide. It's difficult and everyone does it a different way. It's best to use everything here as a reference instead of a definitive guide.

 

First and foremost, you need to decide on a technique. Initially, I was planning on pulling the dashboard. We had most of the dash removed: Gauge cluster, RKE box, HVAC, radio, console. Unfortunately we ran into a problem. The steering wheel was NOT coming off. It was stuck. We broke two pullers in the process. This meant pulling the dashboard wasn't an option and we'd have to go about it from the top.

 

Honestly, this may have been an omen. Since we had a wide array of tools at our disposal, it was much easier in the end to do it via the top and not removing the dashboard at all. Here is where you've got to make a decision. If you have a LOT of tools, including angle drills, metal grinders, dremels, etc. you're going to want to do it this way. It's easier and saves a lot of time.

 

On the other hand, if you don't have a garage with a bunch of materials and tools available, pulling the dash might be the best method. It's more time consuming, but it allows you to do more with less. It's also easier to measure and to fabricate your own mounts.

 

Once we realized that we couldn't pull the steering wheel, I started to work on doing it without the dash removed. I used Dave Wild's pictures as reference points (along with measuring my HUD dash pad) to mark and prepare the dash for cutting. Here's the picture after the first initial cut (before I show you these, YES I know my car is filthy, and yes I know I need a new steering wheel. It'll come in time ).

 

 

After the first cut. It had to be expanded greatly in the end:

 

 

Test fitting the HUD dashpad. It was far from perfect at this time:

 

 

Testing the HUD placement and image:

 

 

Taking a break. You can see the cuts/trims on the dashboard:

 

 

My buddy John doing some soldering:

 

 

HUD in place and wired up:

 

 

Almost finished:

 

 

Finished product:

 

 

HUD switch placement (again, I KNOW my car is disgustingly dirty):

 

 

HUD images:

 

 

The HUD dashpad itself isn't perfect for the Regal. Remember, all these parts were designed for the Grand Prix and it's production tolerances. I had to cut some of the mounting holes on the dashboard to make the HUD dashpad fit nicely. It still and will probably always have a tiny gap in between the dash and pad.

 

The HUD unit itself is mounted to the metal dashboard frame. We drilled into the brace and tapped threads into it. The back of the HUD sits on what used to be part of the plastic that holds the RKE unit.

 

All the tutorials suggest tapping into the VSS signal under the hood. I have absolutely no idea why. Not only is it a waste of time, it's never a great idea to hack into wiring under the hood. There is most definitely a VSS signal wire on the cluster harness. It is green with a white stripe.

 

For power, I tapped into the power drop on the passenger side of the car. This way, if I'm having any problems or that fuse blows, I know where to start and I know that it's a problem with the HUD unit. It's already fused at 10A, and it works great. It also saves a great deal of time and prevents you from having to wire up a power source/fuse yourself.

 

Once again, this is a massive amount of work. I got to my buddy John's house at 9 AM Saturday morning and finished at 5:30 PM today (Sunday). I went to bed at about 11 and woke up at 8. This entire project was a lot of trial and error, and a lot of frustration. In all, if I had to do it again, I definitely would. Those two numbers on my windshield make me incredibly proud of our work and it's a feature I've wanted on this car ever since I got it. My previous two cars had it, and while it's not an absolute necessity, there's nothing like turning the dash lights all the way off and navigating with just the HUD unit on. To me, it's also a safety issue. I'm always looking down at my speedometer, taking my eyes off the road. I don't have to with HUD.

 

As far as features I wired up, I did the speed, turn signals, and E/M switch. I didn't bother with the high-beam indicator. I can generally tell when they're on (namely because I just TURNED them on. It's not some kind of surprise).

 

Well, that's it for now. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post. HUD rocks!

 

Appendix, notes and references:

 

Thanks to: A vast majority of this write-up wouldn't be possible without Ken (Crazy K) from the W-body.com forums. The pictures posted in the first portion are from Dave Wild's installation. Some information is from Sean (GSRegal99). Thanks to all of you.

 

References:

Crazy K's HUD information thread on W-body.com
The Wikipedia entry on Head-Up Displays
Adam's '97-03 HUD install into a '94 GP thread
Mike Rightsell's Wiring Guide

 

I'll be editing this guide as soon as my installation is complete. If anyone has ANYTHING to add, please do so, and I'll include it. I want to make this guide as thorough as possible.

[Night Fury]

Awesome write-up!

 

And it's not a DD/beater if it's not FULL OF SHIT!